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Does Satiety Make Sense to You?

An interesting new study found that most women did not know the meaning of some of the most popular weight management terms used by the food industry, such as satiety.

By most, satiety was seen as a negative word on food labels; other women said they didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

The concept of feeling 'fuller for longer' was also not well received. Most associating it with feelings of discomfort or bloating. The consumers studied also didn't react well to the claim that a food 'slows the rate at which the body breaks down food.' Confused participants asked, "If it slows down, don't you absorb more calories?" and "Don't you want it to speed up?"

This report was really eye opening for me because these are concepts I talk with my clients about often. Are you confused by these terms too?

If so, perhaps a better way to think about 'satiety' is to feel full and satisfied, despite eating fewer calories. For example, a small sliced apple with 1 Tbsp of natural peanut butter for dipping will probably cause you to feel more full and satisfied (and fuller longer) for 200 calories compared to say 8 Twizzlers for 300 calories.

And as for 'slowing digestion' and 'feeling fuller longer' those are good things. Here's why:

If a meal helps you feel fuller longer, you probably won't want to eat as much or eat again as quickly, which means your overall calorie intake will likely be less - which can help you lose weight - but you won't feel hungry.

And slowing digestion can help weight control for two reasons. First, quicker digestion can trigger a quicker return of hunger (which means you'll probably eat more) and also, if you digest food slower over a longer period of time, your body has a better chance to burn off the calories from the meal rather than send them to your fat cells.

Satiety is a big buzz word in food and nutrition right now, so I expect you'll be seeing and hearing it a lot more. What's your reaction to the 's word' and what terms or concepts on food labels confuse you? Please share your thoughts!